Lumines 2

Lumines - another demonstration of how a simple concept, properly executed, can turn out an unbelievable game. Lumines 2 improves on it's previous incarnation by including music videos from famous artists, providing more challenges and tasks, and generally making the whole thing slightly more slicker.

For those not in the know, the challenge mode (where you'll spend most your time) has you dropping 2x2 blocks, tetris style, onto the playing area. The bloks are made of two colours in any combination. If you manage to create a 2x2 area or greater of the SAME colour, they will disappear when the time line sweeps past, earning you points. This sounds quite compliated to explain, but after a couple of goes it becomes quite intuative. Ocasionally, special blocks appear. These, when highlighted for erasion by the timeline, will also highlight same colour adjacent blocks. Giving you the opportunity to erase a larger part of the playing area.

This game is ideal for filling 10-15 minute gaps in your life. However, you will often feel the need to stop playing after a while. Only for you to be dragged back a couple of hours later. Lumines 2 is a must buy if you like puzzles of any kind, and it won't hurt your wallet very much either. If you have the original, then I wouldn't get this unless the blocks are overtaking your life.

Weak

This game didn't work for me as a first person shooter on PSP. Far to short, poor graphics & bare backdrops. The difference between this game & Call Of Duty, Roads To Victory is like night & day. Didn't think a first person shooter could work on PSP but Call Of Duty beats it in every department with ease.

Good buzz

The PSP incarnation of the highly popular Buzz series of quiz games could have gone one of three ways. It could have been a disastrous attempt to capture the entire complexity of the full PS2 games. Likewise, it could have been an over simplified, stripped down piece of garbage. Instead, they wisely took the third option and landed it squarely in between. Its not so simple as to be boring - you can still select characters and have several game modes to choose from. Anyone who has played the originals will not be in unfamiliar territory, but there are a couple of unique modes for the PSP. And while its not as fully featured as the PS2 versions, that would only serve to hinder its"portable" status.

This game is exactly as advertised on the TV - its for groups of people. The single player mode is limited to challenges, i.e. one player cannot take part in a normal, multi-round quiz, instead earning medals and cups for high scores in single quiz rounds. The full quiz for groups is also extremely short unless you have 4 or more people. If you play it with two people you get about 10 minutes out of it - maximum. Really, this is for a group of mates and a few drinks, and ideally you would have the full compliment of players (and if you combined it with drinKing games, it would probably be even better).

This game has many positives; the questions don't repeat too much, it gets your brain going, and while single player is limited, its not bad on the commuter train at 8am. Really though, the portability is this games only advantage over the originals. Its so cheap to buy the PS2 versions and the buzzers now that if you have a PS2, they really are the better options. Also, over time, as questions will inevitably repeat, you will tire of this and go back to weekly monopoly games with the lads.

Great Game

This is a great game for the PSP, and it is a promising start to what should be a successful era of James Bond games on the PSP. The graphics are great during gameplay, although I thought they could of been bumped up a bit for the mission completion videos. Sean Connery's likeness is apparent, and his voice really adds something to the game. The story line is good too, seeing as it doesn't follow the film's religously. It's a very fun and exciting game, and at some points I was entirely emersed in the game, on the edge of my seat trying to defeat some enemies with the great gadgets your equipped with. The levels are great aswell, with extra missions that break away from the story (for example, racing you Q-Copter round a previosly completed level). The multiplayer is great aswell, even with AI oppenents. The reason I have not given this game 5 stars is beacuse of it's length. It is too short. I completed it in a day. Of course, you can't say a game's bad because of its length, but it does help to have a long game which you are able to play weeks after purchase. For instance GTA was a long game, one that I still haven't completed (I got it last Christmas). Maybe they took up space on the UMD with the graphics? All in all though, From Russia With Love is a great, but short-lived, game.

Not a game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Firstly it does work on the phat PSP, and there is a slight delay when it picks up the signal, sometimes it works instantly. Though on Friday the saved route from work to home took me half way, the route had changed, or I may have edited it, without realising it: I guess the saved routes option is for a journey before the journey - not to be used during a journey. You do have an option to save your favourte spots - I did just find my house number on my road and I saved it as a favourite, also work as a favourite destination. You get a cinemascope picture in 3d, and there are a few settings. I have not tried the econmical route to work, or when walking! Also the volume of the voice can be set in options which is loud enough.

A great new Burnout - but not the best

`Burnout Dominator' on the PSP has all of the high speed, action packed thrills of the previous Burnout games, but is a little different and not for the better.

The first thing that you will notice if you have played either Burnout 3 Takedown, Revenge or Legends is that traffic checking (smashing traffic going the same way as you out of your way) has been removed. This makes the races a bit harder as when you touch another car, you will crash - just like in the original Burnout.

The next bad point is that Crash Mode (one of the best modes in the more recent Burnouts) has been removed and seems to have been replaced by some new modes.
First is Maniac Mode where you earn points by basically driving on the wrong side of the road, execute near misses and by drifting around corners. Fun as it may sound, it does get a little repetitive after a while.
Next is Drift Mode where you earn points by simply drifting around corners.
And then there is Near-Miss Mode which can get frustratingly hard as the aim of this is to earn points by driving as closely to other traffic as possible. This generally results in a lot of crashes until the time runs out and if you are one to like to get all of the gold medals (like myself), this can make things a little difficult. There also seems to be a lack of traffic on the track to be able to build your points up to get the gold!

On the plus side, `Burnout Dominator' is great fun to play and quite challenging, with very impressive visuals for the PSP and also a pretty decent soundtrack. It is a game I'd definitely recommend for fans of the Burnout series and newcomers alike, but there are better Burnouts out there.

Mixed feelings

This game definitely has a feel of the original 'Driver' about it, and certainly provides several hours of fun on the main missions, with some interesting side missions thrown in for added longevity. However, the streets of New York seem rather empty, and there's not really a great deal to do during the 'take a ride' option. Pretty good soundtrack though that certainly captures the era.

Snookered

I would never have thought that a portable version of Snooker would be this good!

Graphics: 9/10 The graphics cannot really get any better for a snooker game, well not until perhaps the next generation of consoles churn some out. The players animations as they take a shot are spot on and they also have facial expressions. This is no Ridge Racer, but nevertheless the graphics perfectly complement the illusion of really playing snooker.

Controls: 10/10 All the controls of the PSP are utilised, but it all feels very comfortable once you get used to it. The controls couldn't be better imo.

Game-play: 9/10
This is addictive, once you get used to it. From the ingenious coaching (where Dennis Taylor actually coaches you brilliantly) to the challenge mode and through to the 10min per game of pool, this is as good as it gets for a Snooker game. The one flaw is that the flow of game play can be interrupted by pretty long waiting times for your opponent's animation to kick in and for them to actually take a shot; this could be classed as realistic and can be turned off. This didn't sway me away from the game though.

Sound: 9/10
The music is actually pretty decent in this title but does get pretty annoying after a while. However the music is only heard in the menus or during some training games and the side games like pool. Where this game really shines is through the commentating. There's John Parrot, Steve Davis and John Virgo. A choice of two of these is selected for each competitive game. They make the odd blunder but overall they create a great atmosphere. There is also crowd reactions, which are minimal, a bit like the real thing!

Lasting Appeal: 9/10
Lets get one thing straight, you will need to devote some hours practicing before you can become a serious contender. Then there's the small task of facing up to 100+ opponents! Once you have cracked the challenge mode the Championship mode opens up for you (haven't got that far yet!) Add to this unlockables like cues, videos etc. for achieving high breaks as well as other things and there is some serious playtime to be had. There is also the wireless play, which I haven't tried yet.

Final Judgement: 9/10 I have this, Lumines and Virtua Tennis for my PSP, and this game has grabbed me more then the other two. This is indeed high praise as both Lumines and Virtua Tennis are rated very highly. (By the way, I only ever watch snooker once a year, and that's the world championships, I have the odd game at the local snooker hall.)

Rent or Buy: Buy. If you're a casual or serious snooker fan, then you MUST buy this game. If you hate the game then you might not like this as it is certainly not pick up and play, it takes time to get decent at it, still I urge you to give it a whirl for a few hours or else you don't know what you're missing!.

One for all the land-lubbers!

I had this on my X-Box, and spend hours, days (maybe weeks and months) sailing about raiding ships and cities, duelling captains, and creating general pirate mayhem. The PSP does not fail to provide the same enjoyment. Even richer looking sea and crisper ships serve to give me power to say that it is possibly even better than X-Box made it look. The game is described elsewhere, but for those reading the less positive reviews, just think --- Sailing around the caribbean in your carefully raided and stolen ship whilst sat in the bus/train/car/lounge/office yelling"Yarr","Me Hearties","Walk The Plank" and other such Piratic flavoured remarks.............Fantastic!

A fresh take on open world games like GTA etc (That, by no means was a comparison between the two BTW), a real recommend is given here.

Decent case for traveling with

I've got two PSP cases, one for my pocket and one for my bag. This one fits the latter role perfectly. It's padded enough to protect your PSP as well as store three games, a few Duo cards and a set of headphones. If you want a case to protect your PSP while it's in your coat pocket this may be too bulky but if you travel with a bag it's ideal.

Brilliant

Im no real boxing fan. I just watch Amir Khan ocasionally and perhaps Ricky Hatton. I bought this game just see what it islike. It is great. The career mode is addictive and will keep you playing so you get the best. Does it get boring and repetitive fighting all the time? No, every fight is differnt. There are some people you can knock out in the first round yes but then there are tough long ones where your opponent is really tricky.The graphics are good and i like the bit where when you are selecting gear your boxer's hair moves. The fact it is handheld makes it all the more better. You can take your boxer anywhere and fight you next opponent. It will keep you going till the end, BUY IT.

Crap!

I have never seen such a crappy video game, I don't know if is the PSP version, because I have seen good reviews for other platforms. The game is slow, subtitles and voices are not syncronized at all!!! it even makes you dizzy....
When you are learning spells and make 2 mistakes, Sirius start teaching you again the spell, and you can't stop it... is so annoying!!!!
This could have been such a good game, but EA made a terrible conversion for the PSP platform.

Wow.

I honestly don't see how anyone could really name and shame this game, it is possibly one of the most varied and unique games on the PSP that anyone could possibly get their hands on.

I ordered this game used of Amazon a while back, only to never play it. One day, I though I'd place it inside my PSP to solve my boredom, and oh my god! What a game it well and truely is.

I won't brag so much about it, all I have to say is that if you want a really decent game for the PSP which you'll find yourself addicted to in a matter of ten minutes, then look no futher at all.

Strengths:
-Amazing graphics
-Realisitic handling in cars
-Varied weapons
-Large map
-Mini games which are also addictive
-Hours of fun

This is no 'port' of the getaway as one reader suggested. It is much more than the getaway on one, smaller console! Top notch!

New and brilliant

Mind you i've only bought this game 4 hours ago but i've been playing it non-stop since then.

As the previous review stated, the menus have changed and the match games and loading times are quite a bit slower but the main reason for that seems because there's just so much more of the game than previous versions.

You now have oppertunities to hire new assistant managers and coaches, and there are ways of becoming involved on an international level too.

The game itself now has a 3d match engine and you're able to communicate with the entire team and individual players throughout a match.

Overall this game is a vast improvement on the previous versions. Even if it is a bit slower. But who on their right mind would start a game anyway if they only have a minute or two to spare. Put it on in the background!

A must star wars game!

What a fantastic game! I asked for it thinking that it was a LEGO Star wars game. I am so pleased it isn't! This is fast, feisty and fun! One of my first games for my PSP and i am pleased that it is. It is increasingly addictive, it is the right amount of difficulty and it has very realistic graphics. The kicking, punching and special moves are fast and furious.
ONE DOWNSIDE IS that loading time is slow and if you die/ fall etc. during a mission you have to go through a process of slow loading.
OVERALL this is a game that is suitable for most age groups and it is impossible not to be liked!
I ADVISE YOU TO BUY THIS WHATEVER GAMES YOU LIKE PLAYING MOST!

Sorry...

Wow, look at all of those 5* reviews. Sorry, I just didn’t like it at all. It seems far far too simplistic (and I know that simple can be good, IF it’s an original idea) but this is just marble madness but without the ingenuity. I just couldn’t get into this game, try as I might. It was an effort to wait for the next level to load without switching off. Maybe I was just rubbish at it but it just didn’t engage me. I say again: sorry, but I was left very unenthused.

Not what it says on the tin

I gave this game a good rating, because it *is* good. The graphics have carried over well, the combat system is amazing.

But do not be fooled by the changed title if you own a PS2. I bought this thinking it was a different game, and it isn't. This is essentially a Warrior Within port. I gave it a good try hoping I was mistaken, but after the first few puzzles it became pretty clear. I ended up returning it for another game.